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Location: BlogsFrame 37    
Posted by: photoblog 11/5/2007 6:10 PM

On my way home the other night I got down to CR312 and saw the road that lead to my neighborhood blocked. A Marion County Sheriff's deputy was waving away curious onlookers and confused motorists and their SWAT van pulling out. My years of journalism experience and keen sense of observation told me something was up.

Nothing like having news happen near your house. I got out and questioned the deputy blocking the road who wouldn't tell me anything. I'm not mad about that. They are just doing their job and I respect them for that. It was fun playing 20 questions though.

Q: Is the SWAT van leaving or arriving

A: Repositioning

Q: Is it a traffic accident
A: No

Q: Is it a hostage situation (one of the things SWAT is routinely called to handle)
A: No

Q: Is someone dead
A: No

It went on like that until finally I got tired and found my to the middle of the situation through a back road (I live around there remember). I eased my way out of that. While I want the picture, I don't want to be the in the cross fire to get it.

Police reporter Austin Miller got to the bottom of the situation while I jockied for better photo position. In the pitch black night these situations are difficult. It's hard to see. You don't dare use a strobe. I could just see it. One strobe pop and have it set off the disturbed army soldier and have him start shooting or blow himself up as he had threatened. Long story short, while these situations seem exciting on TV they are alway tedious at best. Again unlike TV everyone's goal in real life is to get every out and secure with no violence at all. That happened in this case. It took a long time but everyone came out unharmed.  I could tell because I heard no automic gun fire or explosions from my house.
This is the best photo I could get for standing in the road for a couple hours. (For those who care, this was not strobed. It was shot at ISO 3200 hand held 1/30th of sec @ f2.8 with Canon 70-200 IS lens). Hey, sometimes the images are special and sometimes they are not. it's all part of the job. Not every day is like TV.
-- Alan Youngblood, Photo Editor
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Comments (1)   Add Comment
Property Tax Amendment    By Gil - Delray on 11/13/2007 2:27 PM
The proposed property-tax Amendment is a joke. It gives each homeowner $4.60 a week reduction in real estate tax bill. That comes to $240 a year reduction. Is that what Gov. Crist calls taxes "dropping like a rock?" Vote NO on this ridiculous Amendment on Jan. 29th, and send a message to the legislators that we want real tax relief--not a crumb.

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